Daoist Competition

The eerie crying from within the Bat King Temple vanished without a trace the moment Zhang Yan stepped inside.

The overwhelming Elixir Evil that surrounded his body constantly flowed and protected him, suppressing the Yin Filth Qi here, even without deliberate exertion.

In the hall, tens of exotic beasts resembling cats or civets with tiger stripes were lying on the ground, gazing at him in extreme terror, their bodies trembling.

Zhang Yan paid them no heed, casting a cold glance around, his eyes emitting a white light about a foot long, resembling a fierce Sword Qi.

Although this temple had been abandoned for a hundred years, there was no dust or cobwebs, as if someone frequently cleaned it, likely the work of these exotic beasts since this seemed to be their home, which they took care of.

The temple was rather large, divided into front and back halls. He moved to the back hall, where he saw a statue of the Earth God on the offering table. Though appearing kind and gentle, it had protruding lips, pointed ears, exposed fangs, red eyes, black skin, and white fuzz on its cheeks, unlike a human appearance.

Zhang Yan pondered in his heart that since the temple was named after the Bat King, it was likely a bat spirit monster that had been venerated as an Earth God by the local villagers.

This wasn’t surprising. In remote rural areas, if a spirit monster was willing to protect the region from evil spirits and ensure peace, it could not only cultivate well but also receive incense and Blood Food. Even Taoists from the Dao Palace would leave it alone.

However, after taking a few more looks, he noticed something was amiss.

With a wave of his hand, he brushed away a layer of dry mud from the statue, revealing the deep black wood grain with a pale yellow talisman affixed to it.

He sneered, saying, "There are no arrays set here; I wondered why the yin energy was so concentrated, and this is the source."

The statue of the Earth God was merely covered in mud and painted, yet inside it was carved from a piece of yin jiu wood, refined through spells.

It was unclear what secret technique was used to create it; originally, it could ward off evil, but now it concealed multiple layers of yin energy. Whenever someone nearby died, their soul was absorbed, imprisoned within, refining yin energy. Over time, this place would become a breeding ground for devils.

If left unchecked, in a hundred years, a Devil would inevitably be born.

These methods were so familiar to him, as they were used by Demon Sect disciples previously when they lacked devils to refine evil spells. They would cultivate devils by another means. But now, with the Demon Tribulation, countless devils emerged from the Demon Cave, rendering such methods unnecessary.

This was likely the reason for the temple’s abandonment.

Over the past hundred years, who knows how many Yin Souls were imprisoned and refined within the wooden statue? At present, over a dozen new souls were suffering the torment of Soul Refining, in extreme agony, but with Zhang Yan present, the enormous Dao Qi from his body suppressed them silently.

Zhang Yan pondered briefly; although abandoned, the presence of living people in contact with the oppressive yin energy would inevitably lead to confused thoughts, with frequent unusual occurrences damaging their Primordial Qi over time. Since he encountered this, he couldn’t leave it alone.

With a finger-pointing gesture, he aimed at the talisman, breaking the spell with a soft sound. The wooden statue trembled, unable to hold the Yin Souls anymore. The dozen-plus souls descended from it, bowed to Zhang Yan a few times, and then dispersed.

Zhang Yan didn’t concern himself with them. He shook his sleeve, sending out a Purple Lightning that swept around the statue, eradicating the accumulated yin energy of several hundred years.

After completing this task, he intended to find a place to meditate. Among the dozen exotic beasts watching his actions, one with a short nose and sleek fur folded its ears back, made a few cries, carried over a clean cushion, and stood up like a human to bow at him.

Zhang Yan nodded, saying, "You all understand well."

He pondered briefly and took out an Elixir Pill, saying, "I’ve destroyed your hiding place, so I’ll grant you this Transformation Elixir."

The exotic beast appeared delighted, took it into its mouth, bowed to Zhang Yan a few more times, then went to the side, called out a few times, and led the group of exotic beasts out of the temple, disappearing without a trace.

Zhang Yan sat down on the cushion, closed his eyes, and spoke no more, waiting for a destined person to arrive.

He didn’t deliberately avoid the small servants when he spoke to Third Son Wang, and despite Third Son Wang’s instructions not to spread the word, the news of Immortal Master Dharma Transmission still spread like wildfire. Though many were intrigued, upon hearing they would go to the Bat King Temple, they hesitated and withdrew.